Globe to pay P5 per call on top of regular voice charges for 911 calls

Globe Telecom Inc. on Wednesday said it will charge an additional P5 per call for their subscribers calling the 911 hotline.
In a statement, Globe General Counsel Froilan Castelo noted that charging 911 calls is suggested by the government to discourage prank calls.
"We would also like to inform our customers that those calling the hotlines will incur regular voice charges plus an additional P5/call for those calling the 911 hotline," said Castelo.

Castelo noted that Globe is ready to transmit voice calls for emergency hotline 911 and complaint hotline 8888 starting August 1 "as directed by the government."
"We are also expediting migration of our system to immediately enable transmission of SMS or text messages thru 8888 and we are confident that we will be able to achieve this target within the timeframe of 30-45 days given to us by the government," he said.
The 911 hotline is set to replace the Patrol 117 as the Philippines' national emergency hotline number while the 8888 will be the citizens' complaint hotline number.

"As a telecommunications provider, Globe recognizes the importance of such communication tool for the government to effectively carry out its initiatives for the benefit of the public," Castelo said.